Have you ever wondered whether your students actually read your comments, feedback, and corrections on their work? Ensure they take your feedback seriously by having students do a follow-up assignment paraphrasing your comments. This follow-up assignment has several good consequences: (1) students read all your feedback carefully, (2) you find out how are interpreting your comments and can correct any misunderstandings, and (3) because they are processing your feedback, they are more likely to use it to produce better work in the future.

Remember to Consider the Learning Space: The next time you write an outcome/goal/intention/objective and an accompanying assessment task, write it and then answer this question:

What type of learning space will provide the best place for learners to practice developing the skills they will need to achieve success in this task?

This will focus your attention on process – how actually will students be able to go about their learning? What conditions are necessary for them to be able to flourish under your instruction? The answers will guide you as to what kind of learning space you will create that will accomplish your objective but will allow importantly some much more richer and more personal learning to occur.

In this sense a learning space extends far beyond the physical and into the whole learning environment that we as teachers are capable of creating for our students.